Kotor
Kotor
Котор Cattaro | |
---|---|
UTC+2 (CEST) | |
Postal code | 85330 |
Area code | +382 32 |
Website | www |
Part of | Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor |
Criteria | Cultural: (i)(ii)(iii)(iv) |
Reference | 125ter |
Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
Extensions | 2012, 2015 |
Kotor (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Котор, pronounced [kɔ̌tɔr]), historically known as Cattaro (from Italian: pronounced [ˈkattaro]), is a town in Coastal region of Montenegro. It is located in a secluded part of the Bay of Kotor. The city has a population of 13,347 and is the administrative center of Kotor Municipality.
The old
Since the early 2000s Kotor has seen an increase in tourists,[1] many of them coming by cruise ship. Visitors are attracted to the natural environment of the Bay of Kotor and the old town of Kotor. Kotor is part of the World Heritage Site dubbed the Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor.
The fortified city of Kotor was also included in
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (February 2024) |
Early history
Once populated by the Illyrians, the exact time of foundation of the first settlement is not known. According to some sources, the oldest settled area dates two millennia back.
The city, first mentioned in 168 BC, was settled during
Middle Ages
The city has been fortified since the early
In 1002, the city suffered damage under the occupation of the
The city was conquered in 1185 by
After the
After the death of Tvrtko in 1391, Kotor became fully independent, until the administration, wary of the looming Ottoman danger, asked Venice for protection. The city acknowledged the suzerainty of Venice in 1420.
Venetian rule
The city was part of the
Four centuries of Venetian domination have given the city the typical Venetian architecture, that contributes to make Kotor a UNESCO world heritage site.[5]
In the 14th and 15th centuries, there was an influx of settlers from the oblasts of
In the 15th and 16th centuries, the customs of the local administration of Kotor, such as the right of the popolari to elect urban representatives, were unchanged and tolerated by the Provveditore of the city, despite Venetian laws prohibiting such institutions. In 1627, during a dispute between the populari and Kotor's nobility, this right was revoked by the consultare Fulgenzio Micanzio, thus empowering the position of the city's urban elite.[7]
Habsburg and Napoleonic rule
After the
It was restored to the Habsburgs by the Congress of Vienna. Until 1918, the town, then known as Cattaro, was head of the district of the same name, one of the 13 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in the Kingdom of Dalmatia.[8]
World War I
During World War I, Cattaro was one of three main bases of the Austro-Hungarian Navy, the home port of the Austrian Fifth Fleet, consisting of pre-dreadnought battleships and light cruisers, and a base for Austrian and German submarines.
The area was the site of some of the fiercest battles between local Montenegrins and Austria-Hungary. After 1918, the city became a part of Yugoslavia and officially became known as Kotor.
World War II
Between 1941 and 1943 the
Main sights
Kotor has one of the best preserved medieval old towns in the Adriatic and is a double
It is home to numerous sights, such as the
Culture
Kotor hosts several summer events, such as the Summer Carnival or Bokeljska Noć. Together with Budva, and the small town of Tuzi, near Podgorica, the city hosted the Federation of European Carnival Cities (FECC) World Carnival City Congress in May 2009.
Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children is one of the most important festivals of its kind in Southeast Europe.[11] Thirty years of this manifestation have marked performances by artists from over 30 countries, from 5 different continents. It was founded in 1993, not far from the place where the first play for children in the Balkans was performed in 1829. The 2017/18 festival was awarded the EFFE Label by the EFA (European Festivals Association).[12] Kotor Festival is highly regarded in the local community and has a large volunteer base.
Kotor has a large population of cats that have become a symbol of the city.[13] The city has several cat stores and a cat museum, as well as the Cats' Square (Trg od mačaka).[14] Water and food is left throughout the city for the cats to feed on, and cardboard boxes are often arranged to be a place for the cats to sleep in.[15] Tourists may notice cats in poor health, which may be due to malnutrition, lack of shelter, fighting, or illness (often a common viral respiratory condition for which medicine is unavailable).[16] The charity Kotor Kitties [17] exists to try and help the cats of Kotor through spaying and neutering. Kotor is described evocatively at the beginning of Marguerite Yourcenar's story 'Marko's Smile.'
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1948 | 14,124 | — |
1953 | 15,436 | +9.3% |
1961 | 16,642 | +7.8% |
1971 | 18,917 | +13.7% |
1981 | 20,455 | +8.1% |
1991 | 22,410 | +9.6% |
2003 | 22,947 | +2.4% |
2011 | 22,601 | −1.5% |
2023 | 21,916 | −3.0% |
Source: pop-stat.mashke.org[18] |
Kotor is the administrative centre of Kotor municipality, which includes the towns of Risan and Perast, as well as many small hamlets around the Bay of Kotor, and has a population of 21,916.[19]
The town of Kotor itself has 1,360 inhabitants, but the administrative limits of the town encompass only the area of the Old Town. The urban area of Kotor also includes Dobrota (7,345) and Škaljari (3,342), bringing the population of Kotor's urban area close to 13,000 inhabitants. The total number rises to around 15,000 if the neighbouring hamlets of Muo, Prčanj and Stoliv are included. The entire population of Kotor Municipality was 21,916, as of the 2023 census.
Ethnic composition of the municipality in 2011:[20]
Ethnicity | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Montenegrins | 11,047 | 48.88% |
Serbs | 6,910 | 30.57% |
Croats | 1,553 | 6.87% |
Other/undeclared | 3,091 | 13.68% |
Total | 22,601 | 100% |
Until the 19th century the main language of Kotor was Italian.[21] During the 19th century, the use of Italian began to decline in favour of Serbian. In 1890, the 18.7% of the population was Italian. The majority of the Italian minority left the city for Italy after the Treaty of Rapallo (1920). The remaining Italians were assimilated or left Kotor after 1945. Today, only 31 people in Kotor identify as ethnic Italians.[22][23]
According to documents from 1900, Kotor had 7,617
-
Blessed Ozana Church
Source: Statistical Office of Montenegro – MONSTAT, Census 2011[24]
Religion (2011 Census) | Number |
---|---|
Eastern Orthodoxy |
661 |
Islam | 0 |
Catholicism |
197 |
Other Christians | 6 |
Atheism | 30 |
Undeclared | 51 |
Other | 6 |
Sports
The local football team is FK Bokelj, who have spent several seasons in the country's top and second tiers. They play their home games at the Stadion pod Vrmcem.
Kotor is a national powerhouse of
Transport
Kotor is connected to the
Tivat Airport is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) away, and there are regular flights to Belgrade, Moscow, Paris and London. Dozens of charter planes land daily on Tivat airport during the summer season.
Podgorica Airport is 65 kilometres (40 mi) away, and it has regular flights to major European destinations throughout the year.
Tourism
Kotor is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Montenegro due to its well-preserved medieval architecture.[25] In 2019, it welcomed over 250,000 tourists.[26]
In June 2021, the first and only public aquarium in Montenegro, Aquarium Boka, was opened in Kotor.[27] It is the organizational unit of the Institute for Marine Biology of the University of Montenegro, a unique institution in Montenegro that combines research and education to promote and practice the efficient conservation of marine wildlife.[28] In the first three months, the Aquarium was visited by more than 8,000 people.[29]
Twin towns – sister cities
Kotor is twinned with:[30][31][32]
- Děčín, Czech Republic
- Campomarino, Italy
- Nesebar, Bulgaria
- Přerov, Czech Republic
- Santa Barbara, United States
- Stari Grad (Belgrade), Serbia
- Subotica, Serbia
- Szeged, Hungary
- Trogir, Croatia
References
- ^ World Travel and Tourism Council
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "Venetian Works of Defence between 16th and 17th centuries: Stato da Terra – western Stato da Mar". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-4068-6761-9.
- ^ Procopius. Buildings. pp. Book7.
- ^ a b "Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor". Unesco World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
- ^ Tošić, Đuro. Trebinjci i Zahumljani u srednjovjekovnom Kotoru Archived 2012-03-17 at the Wayback Machine, work in Istraživanja, 2005, br. 16, pp. 221–27.
- ISBN 978-1000057867.
- ^ Die postalischen Abstempelungen auf den österreichischen Postwertzeichen-Ausgaben 1867, 1883 und 1890, Wilhelm KLEIN, 1967
- ^ "Bollettino ufficiale legislazione e disposizioni ufficiali" (in Italian). 1942. p. 441. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
- ^ Rodogno, Davide (2003). Il nuovo ordine mediterraneo. Turin: Bollati Boringhieri.
- ^ "Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "EFFE Label for Kotor Festival of Theatre for Children". Retrieved 18 April 2022.
- ^ "Cats in Kotor Old Town, Montenegro". 18 June 2015. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "The Bizarre History of Kotor's Fascination With Cats". August 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "MONTENEGRO IS FOR THE CATS". 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "Cat Welfare In Kotor". 18 June 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
- ^ "Kotor Kitties". Retrieved 6 February 2021.
- ^ "Montenegro Census 2023". 15 April 2024.
- ^ "Preliminary results of the 2023 Census of Population, Households, and Dwellings". Monstat. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
- ^ "Montenegrin 2011 census". Monstat. 2011.
- ^ Le bocche di Cattaro nel 1810: con notizie sul Montenegro : relazione di Luigi Paulucci, delegato napoleonico, con altri documenti e appunti di storia "bocchese" : biografie dei Marchesi Paulucci, nei loro legami dalmati, veneti, piemontesi e russi
- ^ Guerrino Perselli, I censimenti della popolazione dell'Istria, con Fiume e Trieste e di alcune città della Dalmazia tra il 1850 e il 1936, Centro di Ricerche Storiche – Rovigno, Unione Italiana – Fiume, Università Popolare di Trieste, Trieste-Rovigno, 1993
- ^ http://monstat.org/userfiles/file/popis2011/saopstenje/saopstenje(1).pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "Popis 2011". Retrieved 29 September 2011.
- ^ Gashi, Rina. "The best places for thrill-seekers in Montenegro". Europe Guidebook. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Kotor Welcomes Over 250,000 Visitors On Group Tours". Total Montenegro News. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ "Aquarium Boka". Akvarijum Boka. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "About us". Akvarijum Boka. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Otvoren Akvarijum Boka u Kotoru". Regionalni portal Turistička Prizma (in Serbian). 22 September 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "International relations". kotor.me. Kotor. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "Partnerská města – město Přerov". prerov.eu (in Czech). Město Přerov. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ "Bratimljenje" (PDF). database.uom.me (in Montenegrin). Zajednica opština Crne Gore. January 2013. p. 29. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
Sources
External links
- The History of Kotor from Visit Montenegro
- Natural and Culturo-Historical Region of Kotor from UNESCO